Meet Our Founder

Best Seat in the House is the product of committed volunteer and community activist, Ivan Gonzalez. Ivan has dedicated his life to helping the less fortunate among us. He consistently applies his talents to local charitable causes, and has developed his professional career at the Ronald McDonald House and Utah Youth Village in Salt Lake City, Utah.

As Ivan became familiar with the children at both RMH and UYV, he started to recognize ways that he could further improve the lives of the children served by these outstanding organizations. To celebrate his own birthday, he purchased food and prizes, and he solicited volunteers to help host a carnival for the less fortunate children. He notes that it became one of the best days of his life.

The kids were able to forget their troubles for a few hours, and their parents beamed as they were able to see their children play like regular children, without worrying about treatments or medicine.

The success of that first event inspired Ivan to host similar parties for other charitable organizations in the Salt Lake City area. Since then, he and his team have put on between one and three events a month, and the demand continues to grow.

But Ivan’s desire to help extends well beyond hosting events himself. He also noted that many families are consumed with medical expenses and that many can’t even afford basic recreational activities for their families. He started to purchase event tickets and to solicit donations so he could help provide these families with a much needed night out.

The success has been immediate and obvious, and the feedback has been tremendous. It’s gratifying to see firsthand just how profoundly these opportunities can affect a child’s (and family’s) morale so they can persevere through the tough times.

Best Seat in the House will further Ivan’s mission to help these less fortunate children rediscover what it means to be a normal child.